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US Defense Budget May Help Fund 'Hacking For Defense' Classes At Universities (ieee.org)

According to an instructor at Stanford, eight universities in addition to Stanford will offer a Hacking for Defense class this year: Boise State, Columbia, Georgetown, James Madison, the University of California at San Diego, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Southern California, and the University of Southern Mississippi. IEEE Spectrum reports: The class has spun out Hacking for Diplomacy, Hacking for Energy, and other targeted classes that use the same methodology. The snowballing effort is now poised to get a big push. This month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an amendment originated by Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) to support development of curriculum, best practices, and recruitment materials for the program to the tune of $15 million (a drop in the $700 billion defense budget but a big deal for a university program). In arguing for the amendment, Lipinski said, "Rapid, low-cost technological innovation is what makes Silicon Valley revolutionary, but the DOD hasn't historically had the mechanisms in place to harness this American advantage. Hacking for Defense creates ways for talented scientists and engineers to work alongside veterans, military leaders, and business mentors to innovate solutions that make America safer."

34 comments

  1. Re:I'm skeptical by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The US has a lot of great hackers, they just won't work for the government and DEFINITELY won't work for Democrats.

    Original AC here. Nice way of turning a completely unpolitical statement into some stupid partisan bullshit. Regarding that, the Republicans are currently in charge, they won the election and so you have the childish assclown as president that you always wanted to have! In case you haven't noticed, nobody wants to work for the current government.

  2. Not needed by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    " Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded..
            — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017"

    Putin will guard USA, Trump says so himself. So why need American hackers?

    It'll be cheaper too, hackers will be paid for by Russia so no need to ask Congress for budget.
    And it will be secure too. so-called NSA has that role currently, but they keep leaking stuff to Congressmen and Senators, while Russia keeps stuff secure:
    How many of these undisclosed meetings with Russian laywers and intelligence men have we learned about from CIA leaks? Loads! How many undisclosed meetings have we learned about from the Russians they met with? None! SECURE!

  3. Re:I'm skeptical by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    It's very noticable that you turfers are trying to draw the line:

    Russia Trump Republicans (line drawn here) Democrats

    Instead of

    Russia (line drawn here) Trump Republicans Democrats

    I don't think you're a Republican turfer because Republicans have already proposed sanctions increases against Russia for the hack. At best you're a Trump supporter. But then I notice you're not drawing this line:

    Russia Trump (line drawn here) Republicans Democrats

    All of Putin's satellite governments have tried to divide a country along political lines and align to one group. This is happening in Poland now, and really what's needed is for Trump to align himself with his fellow Republicans and stop letting Putin divide America via Trump.

    Each time Trump talks to Putin like he's talking to his boss, it really reveals the problem here.

  4. Modern entrepreneurial methodology ... by perpenso · · Score: 2

    Its not what you think. It hacking in "old" sense, creative, simple solutions to problems. Not the "new" definition of hacking as in hostile technological attacks.

    It looks like they are taking a modern entrepreneurial methodology and applying it to DoD problems. The NSF has been doing this for a while through its variation Innovation Corp (I-Corp) programs, https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pg.... Running academic researchers through this training to increase the success rate of NSF funded research making it to the market.

    Notice that the students teams are doing 100 interviews, that sounds exactly like NSF I-Corp. The premise here is to teach academic researchers that whatever ideas they have about the use of their technology is most like crap, that the solutions in their mind are most likely crap. That they need to get their a** out of their office/lab and go talk to real people in the real world. Talk not about your solution, but talk about the people's problems in the domain your solution exists in, what people have tried as solutions, what worked, what didn't, why, ... all the time not contaminating the interview by mentioning or steering things toward your ideas. The academic is merely interviewing to learn about real people, real problems and real solutions, or lack thereof. After 100 such interviews there should be some recurring themes, and these themes should suggest a direction to move in, unlike whatever crap the academics dreamed up in isolation in their office/lab.

    Now the academics go implement a solution in a very incremental agile-like fashion. Doing more interviews to validate their solution and their continued progress, to make sure they are on track. Hypothesis, experiment, feedback, repeat.

    Its basically applying an agile-like process to business and product development.

    This new DoD stuff seems to be trying to get their suppliers to use this approach. Rather than the lets develop a business plan and complete product specification in isolation approach. The "it doesn't have to actually work, it only needs to meet the DoD approved spec" approach.

    1. Re:Modern entrepreneurial methodology ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you think that you will get anything from researcher locked in a cognitive box, then you are yourself in the box.

      Hint: Where was the hacker culture created?

    2. Re:Modern entrepreneurial methodology ... by perpenso · · Score: 1

      If you think that you will get anything from researcher locked in a cognitive box, then you are yourself in the box.

      Unlike an internet commentator speculating from their chair. I was forced to get my a** out from behind my computer and go through this NSF I-Corp training with 20+ other teams. I actually witnessed many PhDs and grad students evolve their opinions, ideas, plans, etc over a period of 4 months and hundreds of interviews.The training is designed to break that box. I witness numerous academic teams pivot their plans due to things learned during this "customer discovery". Keep in mind that these academic teams were trying to commercialize their research, not just grind out another paper for publication. To move from NSF grants to SBIR grants to Angel/VC funding.

      The researchers can't delegate these interviews. The PhD/Founder/Visionary has to go do these interviews to face reality, to face the likely rejection and failure of their ideas, get over this trauma, and move/pivot to something the real world is telling them.

    3. Re:Modern entrepreneurial methodology ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >Keep in mind that these academic teams were trying to commercialize their research,

      Then the problem is that you are looking for the wrong persons not researchers but engineers/commercials.

    4. Re:Modern entrepreneurial methodology ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >Unlike an internet commentator speculating from their chair.

      Unlike you, I do not hypothesize on the people commenting. And I do not create a fable about researchers and how they are not doing their work.

      Just went back at university at 40. So happy to see far less know-it-all people like you.

    5. Re:Modern entrepreneurial methodology ... by perpenso · · Score: 1

      >Keep in mind that these academic teams were trying to commercialize their research,

      Then the problem is that you are looking for the wrong persons not researchers but engineers/commercials.

      There is no lack of engineers on these teams. Nor is their a lack of mentors with commercial experience on these teams. And you are missing the point of it all. The point of this training isn't about the technical details of turning ideas into solutions. The point is to make sure one has the correct ideas about what the problems are and the ideas that you believe to be solutions, and once the ideas are sorted out that you proceed is small testable chunks where you continuously verify the things you are adding and the overall thing you are building.

    6. Re:Modern entrepreneurial methodology ... by perpenso · · Score: 1

      >Unlike an internet commentator speculating from their chair.

      Unlike you, I do not hypothesize on the people commenting. And I do not create a fable about researchers and how they are not doing their work. Just went back at university at 40. So happy to see far less know-it-all people like you.

      I went back to the University at 43. 18 months ago I was part of one of these University teams taking NSF funded research and working to commercialize it. I went through the NSF I-Corps Teams training over a period of months. My training cohort consisted of over 20 other such University based teams starting with NSF funded research. The characterization of researchers likely having crap idea and other failings with respect to commercializing of their research is not my idea, rather it was the premise of the NSF as presented by the professors from prominent Universities who were in charge of this training program. Each week we had meeting where each team presented to the professors and the other teams what they had learned that week from interviews, how this changed their value proposition, their planned solution, their planned product, etc. Over the months I witnessed researchers make radical changes in their understanding of the needs of the market and make radical changes in their product and their commercialization plans.

      What you are failing to see is that it is not about researchers failing their work, their understanding of something within their field of study. It is about researchers failing in their side job, turning their research into a good product the commercial market will embrace Its not physics, science, etc where the researchers fail, it is in entrepreneurship that they typically fail. Go follow the link to the description of this program in the summary. The training is all about entrepreneurship as popularized by Steve Case, methodologies originating in part out of Stanford. It seems a DoD replication of what the NSF has been doing.

    7. Re:Modern entrepreneurial methodology ... by perpenso · · Score: 1

      Typo, I meant to type:
      "Its not engineering, science, etc where the researchers fail, it is in entrepreneurship that they typically fail."
      And again, this is the opinion of the NSF, and the NSF has this I-Corp program to address this failure.

    8. Re:Modern entrepreneurial methodology ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > It is about researchers failing in their side job, turning their research into a good product the commercial

      This is not theirs jobs. Somebody is trying to deport his job on researchers. Doing science is hard enough to not have to handle other people problems. Research have nothing to do with entrepreneurship.

    9. Re:Modern entrepreneurial methodology ... by perpenso · · Score: 1

      > It is about researchers failing in their side job, turning their research into a good product the commercial

      This is not theirs jobs. Somebody is trying to deport his job on researchers. Doing science is hard enough to not have to handle other people problems. Research have nothing to do with entrepreneurship.

      Many researchers attempt to commercialize their NSF funded work for personal reasons. Many universities encourage commercialization. The NSF also encourages it. The NSF also wants to increase funding opportunities for researchers. This can require a commercialization effort, SBIR/STTR awards for example.

      The research team that completely hands off commercialization to others is potentially setting up that effort for failure.

  5. This is not defense by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    it's literally asking your citizens to attack and sabotage other countries' networks and communication means. It's basically a declaration of war, where every citizen can take up the role of a "cyber warrior" at their own discretion. The EU and Asia should respond to this with the same means.

    1. Re:This is not defense by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 1

      It also sounds like a great way to get onto a government list for life, just to be sure.

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
  6. coming round by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The american way of doing the chinese trick of forcing people to put spyware on their devices.

    1. Re:coming round by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Alas, there'll be more money to be made by 'going private', one way or another. So I doubt this will have the outcomes desired.

  7. plenty of jobs out there for these skills by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...in russia

  8. Meanwhile, the solution to hacking goes ignored by ka9dgx · · Score: 2

    Capability Based Security can actually fix this mess we call "computer security", but alas, it remains an obscure topic.

    1. Re:Meanwhile, the solution to hacking goes ignored by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

      You write as if they want to fix the problem. They are only interested in exploiting it for their own gain.

      --
      Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
  9. with student loans as high as they are they don't by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    with student loans as high as they are they don't need to fund this.

    What about an free trade school for this that does not take 4 years loaded with theory?

  10. Let me guess what will happen by Zontar_Thing_From_Ve · · Score: 1

    The number of Russian students gong to US universities will skyrocket. These classes will have a rather significant amount of foreign students from China, Russia and India attending. At least the last one of those seems to like us for now. Then after graduation they will return home and a few years down the road Congress will hold hearings and express their anger at how nobody at the time thought that restricting access to these classes to only US citizen students was a good idea and how they can't believe that schools willingly taught our adversaries skills they could use against us.

    1. Re:Let me guess what will happen by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      Follow the funding. Funds to find and get poor people into college. Make people take out loans or spend their own cash on the course.
      The contractors that get to help with education.
      A flood of graduates will skills ready for the US gov or mil.
      The "willingly taught our adversaries skills they could use against us." will take decades to finally work out :)
      The deep thinking on foreign students taking any US classes is that they will totally enjoy the USA. When the students return home they will crave US freedoms.
      The risk that they gain some US secrets while learning is worth the long term ability to place US friendly spies deep in their own nations.
      They will rise up the ranks of their own nations with the powerful US qualifications and then enjoy spying for the USA.
      If not spying then be more open to US contracts or brands.
      The college life was so amazing people will return to their own nations and find a way to spy for the USA.
      Hearts and minds over decades. Win over a spy by showing them a good time in the USA.
      The concept that other nations could fool the US with decades of committed Communists getting a free education in the USA would never work.
      Sleeper agents are been sent back with thoughts of freedom.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  11. look at all these tier 1 research schools by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Posting from one of them right now...... if you don't restrict these classes to US citizens only, you'll just be teaching the Chinese how to hack better.

  12. Where? by oh_my_080980980 · · Score: 1

    "Rapid, low-cost technological innovation is what makes Silicon Valley revolutionary,"

    Low cost to whom? Consumers? Still waiting for the $50 iPhone.....

    1. Re:Where? by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      Sell the US mil on using consumer CPU's to build a big super computer.
      Each CPU is low-cost. The technological innovation is in getting the funding to build a super computer with a lot of consumer CPU parts.
      Want a more rapid super computer? Buy more consumer CPU from the private sector.
      The innovation is only limited by the budget for parts.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  13. Re:I'm skeptical by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    All you need is the (D) after the congressman to know all this really is going to be is "blaming Russia for defense."

    Interesting, are you that committed to your ideology? 4 Years after Mr. "I want to fight the Cold War again" you're not "Russians are our friends" without even Ozymandias to scare you into it?

    The US has a lot of great hackers, they just won't work for the government and DEFINITELY won't work for Democrats.

    Lots of "hackers" work for the government, and you might be surprised at how many political operatives there are.

    Part of that has to do with the anti-authoritarian streak that most hackers have, but mostly it has to do with the absolutely stifling government culture. I'm sure everyone's heard the "those who can't, teach" joke before, but the reality is "those who can't land cushy government jobs where they can never be fired." Working for those people sucks and it's what sends most hackers as far away from the government as they possibly can.

    Sure man, and working for who is the alternative? Some sketchy guy trying to get old ladies to buy shares in condos? The people selling the latest "trick" to beat a traffic ticket? Maybe somebody who will sell DVDS with content badly transferred from VHS so you can be a REAL ESTATE Tycoon? Oh oh, maybe you'll mine some digital currency that gets hacked on a regular basis?

    Oh, I know, you can be a "start-up" wizard who gets paid in toilet paper and toothbrushes!

  14. Specialized ROTC Training by Rob+Riggs · · Score: 1

    As many have already pointed out, the number of foreign students at U.S. universities is astounding, especially at the sort of universities likely to get this funding. You'd be doing nothing more than teaching our adversaries how to attack us. This should be taught at military academies and via specialized ROTC training.

    Specialized ROTC training for computer engineering grads (none of this namby-pamby CompSci shit) will provide college funding for students and a ready-made qualified talent pool for the military to draw from.

    --
    the growth in cynicism and rebellion has not been without cause
    1. Re:Specialized ROTC Training by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      That used to be done. Mil people who showed skills in tests got offered to learn more skills and very different gov/mil job offers.
      The best got found further testing ensured the US mil got the very best. Worked too well for decades.
      The problem with that is the lack of access for contractors. If the mil and gov can find and educate generations of their own staff by doing its own testing?
      The new methods open up funding to the private sector. Teaching, equipment sales, course material is done by the private sector.
      Secrecy takes tax payer money and locks it up in the gov and mil.
      Foreign students doing the same work is more funding. People with needed skills get huge contracts.
      Translators, cultural experts who are not just US anthropologists.
      If adversaries get into the US gov and mil is that really the fault of the contractors?
      The US gov needed staff with language skills, the contractor found the staff with really good skills.
      Knowledge of all slang and dialects. Perfect for all gov/mil translation. Qualified in USA.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  15. By the time it reaches a University.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...it is obsolete, whatever you are teaching.

  16. This means war by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hacking for Defence sounds a lot cooler than students being drafted for a tour of duty in the Vietnamese jungle.

  17. Re: I'm skeptical by KGIII · · Score: 1

    With the definition for hacker, as used here, hacking for defense seems to be like fucking for virginity.

    --
    "So long and thanks for all the fish."